Hi guys, just thought i'd pass on a bit of information passed to me by my ex missus who i'm still great friends with.

She works quite high up in an insurance company and has just told me that they are now refusing to pay out a claim to someone because they had a website name written across the back of the car.

Apparently this constitutes altering the appearance of the vehicle.

I'm not gonna get into a debate here about Dealers window stickers etc, but this is true and is happening, she has been told by her superiors that any vehicles they insure that are involved in claims and have undeclared graphics etc on them are to be refused the claim.

They are a very large insurance company (although I doubt anyone on here will be insured by them) so it's likely this stance will be taken up by all insurers, so if you have WWW.BRISKODA on your car - please call your insurers and get some clarification as to your position.

good old insurance companies! You have to luv 'em!

Take it to the insurance ombudsman (or for that matter the courts) and I bet they would loose that one hands down.

Insurance companies are often big bullies and like all big bullies they will probably back down anyway

Would Briskoda.net be classed as advertising then. I've also got Skoda Motorsport and Foo Fighters stickers on the back of my car, am i advertising there as well!! :thumbdwn:

Sorry , but this has all the hallmarks of a complete and utter myth.

Simply putting a window sticker in your car will not invalidate your insurance.

If you let us know which one it was I'll gladly phone them and ask.

Another thought, what would happen if i'd got the name of said insurance company across my back window, would they refuse my claim for me advertising the company!!! Also, my insurance company send me a tax disc holder with my renewal, so surely, if i used it, that would be advertising as well, even in the front window.

Sure she doesnt mean stickers over the bodywork?

Just had a quick look at the insurance ombudsman's website.

This page makes interesting reading http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/27/27-ins-nondisclosure.htm. Don't see how the insurance company would have a leg to stand on.

Would Briskoda.net be classed as advertising then. I've also got Skoda Motorsport and Foo Fighters stickers on the back of my car, am i advertising there as well!! :thumbdwn:

I didn't see any mention of advertising :confused: From their point of view, maybe statistically stickers affect the desirability of the car to be broken into and therefore increase the likelihood of a claim over a standard car, or may be distracting to other motorists (if they're reading website names) and make you more likely to be involved in an accident.

Would be interesting to find out more....

Chris

surely the "honest it's a Skoda" stickers that some skoda have got (put in by dealers) would fall under the same thing?

Personally "if" it is true it's just another way of them making some extra cash from the customer.

"I have a 50p sticker in my rear window" insurance company "thats fine but it's

Absolute rollocks. I am a compliance officer in an insurance company (not motor so please don't shoot me :P ) and they would be laughed out of court unless the sticker was proven to have caused an impairment of vision or some other clear direct cause.

If the addition of a sticker inside the car window that constitutes as altering the appearance of the vehicle then do you also have to declare other changes that can be seen by looking into the vehicles windows such as having a hair cut or wearing a different coat, how about a tartan rug on the parcel shelf?

How about a tartan rug on the parcel shelf?

Or one of these?

Didn't they give them out free with every quote at one point? Perhaps it was a master plan, so that they could void your insurance!!

I didn't see any mention of advertising :confused: Chris

Sorry, i had advertising in my head for some reason.

surely, if there only just implimenting this they need to advise all policy holders of the change to their policy.

Just had a word with a member of the family (Uncle)who is a broker and an underwriter. First time he's heard of this one. He says that this would be hard to make stick. He goes on to say that there must be more in it than has been mentioned

Probably the guy did have a sticker or two.

It was advertising the remap , new exhaust , new suspension , etc , etc.........

Oh , and he'd forgotten to declare any of these mods.

TBH Obscuring vision was my first thought rather than anything to do with advertising if it could be shownto be a contributory factor, although if a sticker is on a back window, it is no different from having no back-window vision as if driving a van.

Therefore must look elsewhere? Certainly not modding performance and it's up to following drivers to pay attention to the road. I'm a bit befuddled by this: Perhaps some underlying logic? :ne_nau: This because if there's any sort of non-payment exclusion clause re this, it surely is good to know what it's being promulgated upon.

Regards

Mo

Therefore must look elsewhere? Certainly not modding performance and it's up to following drivers to pay attention to the road. I'm a bit befuddled by this: Perhaps some underlying logic? :ne_nau: This because if there's any sort of non-payment exclusion clause re this' date=' it surely is good to know what it's being promulgated upon.

Regards

Mo[/quote']

Good grief! I struggled to read that, and I very much doubt if I could say it!

This sounds like a load of rubbish to me, the thread that is, not Mo's comment.

:O I'd be f***ed if that was the case...

Although saying that my rear sticker barely impairs vision at all. I only see the lower 1/3 in my rear view mirror and it's not in line with the usual things you need to keep an eye on.

Well I can assure you that its not rubbish, and it is happening to a middle aged woman who had the website of her company written across the back of her vehicle, not a sticker in the window, but similar to the pic someone posted above of their Fabia, only the writing was on the bodywork not the glass.

I am not in the habit of fabricating storys, i've got much better things to do with my time, so to zoidberg et all who think i'm making it up.

I just thought i'd mention it so anyone who has similar graphics on their car can check with their insurers, a 30 second phone call may save you lots of greif in the unfortunate event you need to claim.

Wether the insuers win their case (thats even if the customer disputes it) remains to be seen, but personaly i'd do without the greif.

I cant mention the insurers name but they are one of those direct type companies and I believe they have an office in Hastings. allegedly.

I'm not suggesting that you have made this up. You are obviously passing on information in good faith but things like this often have a grain of truth in them and get distorted.

If an insurance company tried to refuse a claim just because there was a sticker somewhere on the car that wasn't factory fitted and hadn't in any way contributed to the accident they would get laughed out of court.

:O I'd be f***ed if that was the case...

Although saying that my rear sticker barely impairs vision at all. I only see the lower 1/3 in my rear view mirror and it's not in line with the usual things you need to keep an eye on.

Jase, whats that snorkel exhaust for? you going through big puddles or something?

Jase, whats that snorkel exhaust for? you going through big puddles or something?

It's to let all that smoke in the cabin get out.

Jase, whats that snorkel exhaust for? you going through big puddles or something?

I think it is to cope with those muddy lanes down Devon way:D